First thing Saturday morning I decided to fix the washing machine. This decision had not been reached lightly. The cold water pressure was weak so I had checked with two experts at work (i.e., they had both owned washing machines at one time or another) and determined that it was a sticky solenoid. I grabbed my toolbox and told my wife what I was planning.
If Trustworthy plumber you do get approached it's a good idea to get as many details about the company as you can. Get an address, a phone number, website address, a full name of the contact and even the licence plate of their vehicle. This will come in handy later on.
Before you hire a contractor, make sure he is bonded and insured. That way, you will feel confident knowing that you have a legally protected relationship with the contractor.
For this reason it is highly important to make sure you are prepared in a plumbing emergency. The first thing to do then is to make sure that you already have the number of a plumber in your phone book that you can find immediately. The sooner the emergency plumber gets there, the less damage you'll do and the less water you'll waste. Meanwhile you will be more likely to be successful in having your plumbing repaired. Don't make yourself rummage around to try and find the number of a plumber at the last minute - keep it somewhere where you can retrieve it easily when necessary.
Go with your gut feeling and don't hire someone that you are uncomfortable with. You should be confident that he is honest and that his bid for water softener is reasonable and competitive. Watch him closely and make sure that he isn't wasting time just to collect additional money from you. Monitor his actions and evaluate whether he is giving you expert advice or simply "shooting the breeze" with you. Solid advice and intelligent tips from him are what you should watch for.
If you have to call your Local plumber to do work such as renovating your kitchen or bathroom, purchase the parts yourself directly from your plumbing merchant. You can often save considerable money by buying this way, and most plumbers are happy to supply you with the information to enable to buy the correct fixtures for your job.
Good plumbers are going to have a valid license that you can check on. Look up the number they give you online and see if it is valid and if any complaints have been filed against that number. This will tell you if they are at least good and have not done anyone anything wrong. Some of the best plumbers are going to know and understand the local building codes and will be able to explain to you what is needed for the job to be in code.
If these three methods do not work, there are chemical you can buy in the grocery store or home improvement store that break up drain clots chemically. These products are not typically environmentally-friendly and should be used as a last option, but they are effective. Alternatively, you can call your local plumber who always has more tricks and bigger tools to take care of that plugged up drain.